thereof duly convidedi (hall forfeitand pay, for
every such offence, the funi of one hundred dol
lars.
And be it further enacted, That every printer
of newspapers may fend one-paper to each and
every other primer of nevvfpapers ;within the
United States, free os-pottage, under such regu
lations as tl>e Poflmalier-General (liall provide.
And be it further exacted, That all newspa
pers conveyed in the mail, /hall be under a cover
open at one end, carried in separate bags from
letters, and charged with the payment' of
one cent for any dittance not niorethan one hun
dred miles, and one cent and a half for any
greater dittance : And it (hall be the duty of the
pott matter-general and his deputy, to keep a
separate account for the newspapers, and the
deputy poll-matters /hall receive fifty per cent,
on the pod age of all newspapers : And if any
other matter or thing lie enclofedin such papers,
the whole packet lhall be charged, agreeably to
the rates ettablifhed by this act, for letters or
packets. Atid if any of the persons employed
in any department of the pott-office, fliall unlaw
fully detain, delay, embezzle or destroy any
ne.wfpaper, with which he (hall be entrusted,
such offenders, for every such offence, (hall for
feit a lum not exceeding fifty dollars : Provided,
that the poft-mafler-general, in any contraift, he
may enter into, for the conveyance of the mail,
may authorize the person, with whom such con
tratfi is made, to carry newspapers, other than
those conveyed in the-niail.
Ami be it further enacted, That the pofl-maf
icr-general be, and he is hereby authorized to
allow to the deputy poft-matteis, refpedlively,
inch commission on the monies arising from the
postage of letters and packets, as he shall think
adequate to their rcfpective Cervices : Provided,
That the said commission (hall not exceed forty
per cent to any deputy, whose conipenfation
thereby (ball not exceed fifty dollars, nor thirty
per cent to any deputy, whose compensation
thereby shall not exceed one hundred dollars,
nor twenty per cent to any other deputy, except
the poll-matter at the port where the European
packets do, or shall lleadily arrive ; to whom
luch farther allowance, ii; addition to the emo
luments of his office, shall be made, as the pod
matter-general shall deem a reasonable conipen
fation for his extra-services, in the receipt and
dispatch of letters, originally received into his
office, si 001 on board such packets, and by him
forwarded to other offices : And provided alio,
That the compcnfations aforefaid fhali not ex
ceed eighteen hundred dollars per annum to any
one poii mailer for all lervicesby him rendered.
And be it further enatfted, That if any depu.
ty post mailer, or other person authorised to re
ceive the postage of letters and packets, shall ne
glect or refufe to under his accounts, and pay
ovei to the pofl-malter-general, the balance by
him due, at the end of every three months, it
shall be the duty of the polt-mafter-genei a], to
caule a suit to be commenced against the person
or persons so neglecting or refuting : Alid if the
poft-maller-general shall not cause such suit to
be commenced within three months, from the
end of every such three months, the balances
due from every such delinquent shall be charged
to, and recoverable from the polt-malle-'- e;ene
ral. s
And be it further ena<fted, Tliat all pecuniary
penalties and forfeitures, incurred under this
acfi, shall be, one half for the life of the person
01 persons informing and prosecuting for the
fame, ti'.e other half to the use of the United
States.
And be it further enacted, That it shall be
lawful for the poft-malter-general, to make pro
\jbon where it may be necelTary, for the receipt
of all ,etrers and packets intended to be con
veyed by any ship or vefTel, beyond sea, or from
any port of the United States to another porl
therein j and the letters so received shall be
formed into a mail, sealed up, and directed to
T, , r of lhe part lo which f,lch fll 'P or
veliel shall be bound And for every lettei- or
packet so .eceived, there shall be paid, at the
a"!? > "n rec *P l,on » a poltage of one cent.
£nd the post-master-general may make arrange
ments with the poft-uiafters in any foreign coun
try for the reciprocal receipt and delivery 0 f
letters and packets, through the poft-olfices
ft " fUn ? le ,'' ena<r,ed , That the deputy
poft-mafteis, and the persons employed in the
tranfponation of the mail, shall be exempt from
Thereof S '° r si " C ° r I,e ' ,alt y fo '' lle S leA
And be it further enacted, That all the fur
plus revenue °f the general poft-ofiice, which
ilia.ll have accrued previous to the firft day of
June next, not heretofore appropriated, be and
the fame is hereby appropriated towards defray
ing o7th/5 C^ n 7 Whkh " ,ay arise in t!lc reve
enfuing department for the year next
And be it further enarted Thnr th» a rr ,
at the last session of
a« to continue in force, for a limited time an
ast nit,tiled, "An art for the temporary Ua
bliihment of the port-office," be, and the fame
is l.eieby continued in "full force, until the firlt
dny of June ne\t, and no longer.
And be ir further enadied, That this art riiall
be in force for the ierni of two years, from the
said full day of June next, and no longer.
JONATHAN TRUMBULL, Speaker
of the Ho'jfe of Reprfentat'ves.
JOHN ADAMS, Vice-Prudent ojthe United States,
and Prejidcht oj the Senate.
APPROVED, '792.
GEORGE WASHINGTON',
President of tht United Slates.
CONGRESS.
PHILADELPHIA
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
MONDAY, February 6.
In commit tee of the whole, on the Fijhery, Bill.
[CONTI N U ED.]
TV/TR. GOODHUE The gentleman last up
-L*-*- (Mr. Williamfon) fays, that an appropria
tion of money being made by the bill now before
its, and the treasury ft an ding pledged for the pay
ment, therefore a diretft bounty is granted. At
ptefenr, we pay in drawbacks about 4JOOO dol
lars ; but we cannot fay, that this sum will be
adequate to the payment of the drawbacks next
year : for if a greater quantity of fifh be taken,
a greater sum of course inuft be allowed : and as
the Aim depends entirely 011 the quantity of fifh,
it is iinpoffible to ascertain beforehand the pre
cise amount ; thereis not however, in the whole
bill any thing of a bounty, except the bare name.
The gentleman allows that weniaj commute the
prefeut drawbacks, and give them to the fiflier
man inltead of the merchant: but it is impoliible
to do this with fafety in any other mode than
that pointed out in the bill—Shallwe leave ir to
the fifherman, to be determined by his oath .'
This would not be advifeable.'
The plan proposed is a much less exceptionable
one ; it is founded on a calculation, that ji certain
quantity of tonnage is employed in taking a cer
tain quantity of fifli :—on this calculation the al
lowance is apportioned to the tonnage: if gen
tlemen think the allowance too high, let the Ann
be reduced ; but let it not be stigmatised as n
bounty :itis no such thing.—The word ' Botany '
is an unfortunate expreHion ; and I wish it were
entirely out of the bill.
Mr. Livermore. The bill now under conside
ration lias two important objects in view. The
one is, to give encouragement to our fifhermen,
and by that encouragement, to encrenfe their
numbers : the other is ro govern those fifhermen
by certain laws, by which they will be kept un
der due restraint. Both these objeCls are of
great importance to such persons as choose to
employ their capitals in the fifhery business : and
I believe ir will UO t be disputed that the business
itfelt is of considerable importance to the United
States, insomuch as it affords a certain propor
tion of remittance or exportation to foreign conn
tries j and docs not impoverish the country, but
enriches it by the addition of so much wealth
drawn from the sea.
It is the objeCt of those gentlemen, who favor
the bill, that the fifhermen Ihould have some en
couragement, not given to them at the expense
o. the United' States, but directed to them out of
what was, in the former law, called a drawback
of the duty on fait.
1 lie calculation, as I understand, has been
made as nearly as pofTible, to give that draw
back not to the merchants who export the fifli
but to the fifliermen who take it, in order to en'
creale that description of men, without whofc
a hifancj it is in vain'to expect any benefit from
the fifiieries : forif the merchants,at prefenten
in that branch, poilefled the whole capita}
ot the United States, yet if they cannot get fifli
ernien, they canm t carry on the fhhery . this is
done by a particular class of men, who mufl be
not only expert f'eamen, but also accnitomec! to
taking the fifli and curing it. If these men can
not be had, the capital cannot be employed ;
and those who undertake the business, cannot
carry it on, or reap any profit from it.
Whilst the drawback is payable only to the
merchant who exports the fifli, it is impossible to
convince the fifhermen, that they reap from it
any advantage whatever: or if some of the more
< ifcerning among them do perceive any advan
tage in it, the others who are not so cleai-fitrht
ed cannot difcem it, and are therefore not dis
posed to undertake the business. It is how e v er
of considerable importance to the merchants,
t lat the fifherinan fnould receive a proper en
couragement, even if they were obliged to allow
u a bounty out of their own pocket.
354
The government of tl, e fiftermen, afier . .
engagement n, this bufmefc is also neArr
be provided for : otherwise f'eauent inft' 7
may occur among that class of men e . an . ces
r ..n-e, ; r F d m :,ztr:rji
(hipping rhemfelves for a foreign voyage! before
the expiration of the fifhing season. I?, the la'
er cafe, the vefTel lies u.elefs on the owner,
hands ; and he, together with the whole expense
of theout-fit, loses all hi, profpeds of E*
gain.
The two objects here mentioned, are fully
provided tor in the bill. Still however it bob'
jevfiedl to ••—but what is the objection >— it is .
that the word 'bounty ' is twice.,fed this clause'
— Let us now fee what advantage will r e s„| t f lou
linking out this obnoxious ' bounty.' None ac
all : the bill fays it (hall cease ; and have gen
tleinen any objection to the bounty's ceafine >—
Since the bouncy is to cease by this bill that
advantage ~, striking it ous ?_The sense would
Ihll remain the fame : aud I don'r know why we
fliould make a law exprefly i 0 itrike out the
word ' bounty,' but to strike out the bounty it-
It is ft range to me, chat any gentleman, v. be.
'
ther he is for giving a great bounty, or no' boqn
ty at all, should quarrel with this un-fortunau
W u- ur T -M , e ,s , i . ndeed > °" c I"" of the fetftion,
which I will readily consent to strike out, an<fl
believe every other gentleman who is in favor of
the bill, will consent to it likewise ; and that is,
the clatife which provides, thar the bounty, to be
allowed and paid on every ve(lel,for one season,
shall not exceed one hundred and seventy dol
lars. If, when the vote is taken on the fedUon, '
there does not appear a majority of the house in
lavor of (Iriking übt the whole, we may then
move for ftrikingTjiic the prov'ift,, if it be offeir
five to any gentleman : if it be not ofFenfive, it
may remain.
If gentlemen are disputing, only because the
\yot d '■bounty in the bill, they may be per-
j clieved from their unea'juefs on that
score : for the bill cxprefsly f.tys " that the
bounty now allowed upon the exportation of dri
ed fifh, of the fifheries of the Unired States, (hall
ceal'c ; and in lieu thereof" a different kind of
enrouragement is to be given. Here is no reason
to dispute about a word : if gentlemen are dis
posed to content to the principle of the bill, that '
ibe drawback of the duties on fait ihall be com
muted for a certain sum to encourage the fifher
men, they will vote in favorof the hill :—if not,
they will vote against if. But it is impoilible for
ine to conceive, why any gentleman under hea
ven ftiould beagainlt it : it is only fixing, for
the merchants engaged in this branch, a clear
and equitable ratio, for difti ibuting among the
filherinen that encouragement, which they think
weceflavy in order to attach rhofe people to the
bufihefs, and to prevent them from going to
other occupations, on land. The bill is an im
portant one, and will encreafe that branch of
business, which is very ufeful to the community :
, — if does not lay a fqrthing of bounty, or duty
on any other persons, .than those who are imme
diately concerned in it:—it will serve them ;
and will not injure any body.
Mr. Lawrance said, from examining the fee
tion, he conceived ir contemplated no/note than
what the merchant is entitled to by exiltinglaws.
The merchant is now incitled to the drawback ;
but ir is found by experience that the effect ha!
not been to produce that encouragement to the
fifliermen which was expected ; and he prefunied
the way was perfectly clear to give a new direc
tion to the drawback—and this is all that is aim
ed at in tile bill. He supposed that the clsnfe
had no neceflary connection with the qtieflion
which had been flatted, respeCting the right of
the government to grant bounties—but, fincethe
question ha 9 been brought forward, it may he
proper to consider it : In difcufiing the quefhon,
lie enquired, what has Cougrefs already done.
Have we not laid extra duties on various articles,
expressly for the purpose of enconrageing vaU '
ous branches of our own manufactures —thel*
dutiesare bounties to all intents and purposes,
and are founded on the idea only of their con u
cing to t-he general interefl- —Similar objections to
those now advanced, were not made to "
ties—they were advocated (some of tliem) '7
gentlemen from the Southward ; he traced t e
effects of these duties, and (hewed that they or-
ated fully, as indirect bounties
Mr. Lawrance then adverted particularly t
the constitution—and observed that it c ° nt^ f
general principles and powers only—the ep°
ers depend 011 particular laws for their operatio »
and on this idea he contended that the P°/i aJI .
of the government must, in various cl ' cll .
ces extend to the granting bounties ; - 1,1
ced in cafe of a war with a foreign P ower ' elit
any gentleman fay that the geneim goven
has not a power to grant a bounty 011 a'--' >
ammunition, &c. fhoold the genera
quire it ? The general welfare .* '"leg
connected with any object or puifii'
itt- effect sadds to the 1 iches of the <o" n .